Case Study — A Live French Learning Experience Across Spain

01 — Client Background

Spain's network of public language schools for adult learners

The Escuelas Oficiales de Idiomas (EOI) are Spain's public language schools, a national network of institutions offering official, accredited language training to adult learners across the country. Each school operates independently, with its own French department, teaching staff, and library, and has students at every level, from absolute beginner to advanced.

Alongside my work as a language teacher and coach, I wrote a collection of twenty short stories in French "Les morts ne manquent pas de conversation", one story per arrondissement of Paris. It follows famous historical figures from various eras who come back to life in modern-day Paris to meddle with local citizens. The book's rich cultural dimensions and accessible short format made it a natural fit for the EOI context, and it gradually found its way into many of their libraries.

02 — The Challenge

Turning a book into something that genuinely helps students learn

EOI teachers had started using the book for classroom and independent reading, but they wanted more than just a text on a shelf. The real challenge was how to turn a reading resource into a pedagogical experience, one that addressed some practical questions:

How can learners improve their French by reading a fiction book?
How can we use a story to build vocabulary, speaking, and writing skills?
How can contemporary literature be integrated into independent language study?

03 — The Solution

A conference with the author, split into two interactive parts

I offered schools a conference to discuss practical use of my book in the classroom.

Part 1

Cultural Context & Interactive Quiz

The first half used a multimedia presentation to set the cultural scene, followed by a dynamic quiz centred on Paris and its famous resident writers, artists, and musicians. Students discovered historical fun facts and the real-world backstories behind the fiction.

Part 2

Practical Text Workshops & Speaking

The second half was built around extracts from the book, each targeting a different language skill:

Colloquial language analysis: using an extract written in colloquial French, students worked in small groups to find synonyms for highlighted slang and informal expressions.
Grammar & descriptive writing: using a highly descriptive extract with all adjectives removed, students worked in groups of two or three to fill in the blanks, then compared their choices against the original text as I read it aloud.
Reader's Theatre: because one of the short stories is written as a play, students acted out scenes, leveraging the book's natural humour and whimsical characters.
Creative speaking production: the session concluded with a creative prompt asking students what kind of book, genre, and main characters they would create if they were authors. This pushed them to use advanced conditional structures and extended vocabulary.

Each event wrapped up with an open Q&A and a book-signing session.

04 — The Results

A repeat-invitation format that scaled across the country

The format delivered concrete, repeatable outcomes that explain why the tour kept growing:

18+ EOI schools across Spain hosted the conference over 2.5 years, from Almería, Granada, Marbella, Cádiz and Cáceres to Valencia, Castelló de la Plana, Xàtiva, Gandía, Zaragoza, Barcelona, Lleida, Bilbao, Getxo, Cartagena, Vitoria-Gasteiz, Logroño and Santander.

Main questions answered in a single one-hour session, combining cultural depth with active language practice.

4 distinct language skills practised per session: colloquial register, descriptive writing, theatrical reading, and creative speaking.

05 — Reviews

What students and teachers said

"Me pareció una lectura amena, cercana y con sentido del humor. Me llamó la atención la facilidad de Anna Redkina para expresarse dado que su lengua materna es otra. La recuerdo como una personalidad inteligente, resolutiva y simpática."

EOI student, Spain

"Anna es una gran comunicadora y conecta muy bien con el alumnado asistente. Su versatilidad para adaptarse al público quedó claramente manifiesta en la presentación de su libro y en las anécdotas que compartió en nuestra escuela. Una gran profesional."

EOI teacher, Spain

How I turned my book into a live French learning experience across Spain